In wine production, when fermentation has been completed and after large solids have been removed by racking, the young wine usually needs time for the acids, alcohol, tannins, and glycerin to knit together, to harmonize. Accordingly, it is a traditional practice to barrel age and store the wine for a period of time. This can be accomplished using a number of different kinds of vessels or containers, such as stainless steel tanks, cement vats, glass carboys, or, in most instances, wood barrels. The traditional wood barrel material is oak (indeed, nearly all fine wines, almost without exception, are aged in oak) because it adds depth and complexity by adding phenols and oak tannins to the wine, and thereby adds new bouquet and flavor dimensions. Aging in oak also softens grape tannins, increases volatile acidity and total acidity, and lowers pH. Stored the right amount of time, wine aged in oak barrels is generally considered to be improved.
In consequence, large scale producers often keep hundreds to many tens of thousands of barrels in storage in production and storage facilities, generally either in barrel rooms or wine caves. The racks, however, cover a considerable amount of floor space. Furthermore, they are generally assembled by welding square steel tubing with steel bars to make unitary, assembled, rigid and fixed racks of the kind taught by Ray, U.S. Pat. No. 3,476,260, which shows a wine rack design that dominates the industry at present. See, for instance, the various models offered at the website links by the following major current-day manufacturers:
http://www.topcoproducts.com/
http://www.westernsquare.com/breweries_and_distillieries/brewery_barrel_racks.html
http://shop.carolinawinesupply.com/wine-barrel-racks_c34.htm
http://barrelsandracks.com/racks/
http://www.rmswinebarrelracks.com/wine-barrel-racks/
http://barrel-racks.com/?page_id=18
http://shop.carolinawinesupply.com/Wine-Barrel-Racks_c34.htm
http://barrelsandracks.com/racks/
From these, it will be seen that the rack dominant in the industry is a rigid square steel tube welded structure based on structural chocks welded onto square tube steel frame structure. The tube members are all welded together, and the bent steel bars forming wedges that act as chock are welded onto the tubes. The smallest units for stacking systems generally hold two barrels and stack atop two barrels. Bottom units simply cradle two barrels on top. Even this smallest structure consumes considerable space when assembled and welded, and thus when shipped. And stacking for shipment simply means that a substantial portion of the shipping volume is occupied by empty space.
As the South Napa Earthquake of Aug. 24, 2014 revealed, when racks are severely damaged in earthquakes, they are not amenable to repair and generally must be replaced. Fabrication of the conventional and traditional racks is time consuming and shipments are expensive. High demand taxes the ability of manufacturers to meet winery schedules for the needed stackable, palletized and forklift compatible barrel racks. In the years immediately following the South Napa Earthquake, there were many shipments of replacement racks required to address the losses. Among other things, that earthquake highlighted the need for a more compact rack, easily manufactured, easily and economically transported, and also easily dismantled for removal and relocation.